This invention relates to a method for repairing and reinforcing plastic tote boxes or totes. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for reconditioning plastic tote boxes which have been torn during use.
Material handling tote boxes have become quite common in modern manufacturing and warehousing plants. Such tote boxes are used for transporting and temporarily storing a variety of items in warehousing and manufacturing operations. Tote boxes are often designed to be nested or stacked and are generally made of a plastic material such as high density polyethylene and the like. However, the plastic materials of which the tote boxes are made are quite often subject to deformation or creep and cannot withstand large forces placed thereon. Therefore, in use, such tote boxes often tear. When tote boxes become so torn as to be unuseable, they are generally discarded and disposed of. Therefore, the life of plastic tote boxes is rather limited especially when they are used to store and transport heavy articles or with rough use. Therefore, a substantial amount of funds are commonly expended in replacing torn or worn out tote boxes.
In the prior art, the approach to solving this problem has been to manufacture plastic tote boxes with reinforcements in selected areas so that the totes will not tear and wear out as readily. Such reinforcement methods include using metal reinforcing rods or tubes in areas of the tote box where the applied forces are generally greatest, such as along the corners and the upper edges of the upstanding sidewalls. Other methods of reinforcement have been to use corner stiffeners made from plastic material or to use complex rib or web reinforcement configurations. However, such reinforcement methods add costs to the manufacture of plastic totes, which is, of course, undesirable. Furthermore, if tears should occur in the totes in areas which have not been reinforced, the reinforced totes must still be disposed of.
It is, therefore, desired to provide a method for reconditioning torn plastic totes by repair and reinforcement whereby torn totes need not be disposed of but may be put to further use and have their useful life extended.